Advancing Safe and Sustainable Water Reuse in Minnesota: Moving Recommendations Forward

Transcription

1 Advancing Safe and Sustainable Water Reuse in Minnesota: Moving Recommendations Forward Suzanne Rhees Board of Water and Soil Resources Jennifer Koehler Barr Engineering Anita Anderson Minnesota Department of Health

2 OUTLINE 1. Background on water reuse 2. Case studies 3. Interagency effort: moving recommendations forward

3 WHAT IS WATER REUSE? The capture and use of stormwater, wastewater and subsurface water to meet water demands for intentional and beneficial uses. Can reuse water from any of the sources to flush toilets, wash vehicles, control dust, irrigate with spray or subsurface, recharge aquifers, drink, and shower whether or not we chose to reuse it depends on a number of factors Cost Availability, reliability Quality, exposure, risks 3

4 WATER REUSE IS HAPPENING IN MINNESOTA *estimations

5 Target Field Station: A Multi-Modal Transportation Hub with Stormwater Reuse Upper Mississippi River Source: Google Maps

6 Target Field Station: Stormwater Reuse Opportunity Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) Burns nearly 365,000 tons of municipal solid waste generating enough electricity for 25,000 homes and steam for the downtown district energy system Significant water user for cooling and other various processes in the facility 24/7 operation Source:

7 Target Field Station: Stormwater Reuse System Worked with City of Minneapolis regulatory department and HERC operators Includes an air gap and a sand filtration unit (5 micron) before entering a process water tank no disinfection Year-round operation of the stormwater reuse system 40,000 gallon above ground cisterns reuses ~1.0 million gallons per year Source:

8 Chanhassen High School: Stormwater Reuse for Irrigation

9 Chanhassen High School: Stormwater Reuse for Irrigation Chanhassen High School Since opening in 2009, utilizes ~3.8 million gallons per year for irrigation (0.6 inches/week, 12 acres, April- September) Irrigation of athletic fields and landscaped areas around the school Constructed stormwater retention ponds onsite Bluff Creek (downstream) is listed as impaired Cost savings for School (~$15,000/year) Chanhassen Water Supply Issues 2007 (water use restrictions)

10 Chanhassen High School: Stormwater Reuse for Irrigation 60-70% of irrigation demand will be met by stormwater reuse - Potable water back-up Treatment includes intake screen (250 micron), automatic backwashing filter (25 micron), and UV disinfection (~0.4 log inactivation for virus) Late night irrigation to limit potential for contact & nonpotable water signage

11 WATER REUSE BENEFITS AND RISKS Benefits Conservation: groundwater protection, resource replenishment Environmental stewardship: water quality, stormwater management, sustainable economic growth Resiliency: energy and infrastructure savings Risks Environmental: Water quality and quantity, soil and vegetation Human health: Biological, chemical, physical System: Long term performance and impacts on other systems 11/26/

12 2015 DIRECTION FROM LEGISLATURE Budget: $350,000 Prepare a comprehensive study of and recommendations for regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to water reuse for use in the development of state policy for water reuse in Minnesota. Timeframe: two years Lead agency: MDH

13 COLLABORATIVE EFFORT Dates: January January 2018 Workgroup meetings (19): Six Minnesota state agencies, Met Council, and UMN water resources center Stakeholders meetings (4): local governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, cities, industries, engineers Final report: released March 2018

14 QUESTIONS FROM IMPLEMENTERS AND AGENCIES

15 CURRENT REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE 11/26/2018 DLI plumbing rules, use within buildings DNR conservation, appropriations, ecosystem health MDA agriculture, food safety MDH public health, well code MPCA environment, stormwater, wastewater BWSR local planning, funding

16 WHAT S IN THE REPORT Information about water reuse in Minnesota (examples of projects, current management, challenges & opportunities) Examples of policies and management in other states and nations Ways to manage human health risks posed by water reuse Stakeholder input, including survey results and meeting summaries Eight recommendations

17 ID RECOMMENDATION a b c d e f g h Create an expanded workgroup with practitioners, advisors and stakeholders Prioritize research needs and integrate ongoing research Define roles and responsibilities Establish an information and collaboration hub on the web Develop a risk-based management system Develop water quality criteria for a variety of reuse systems based on the log reduction target approach for pathogens Resolve unique issues related to graywater reuse Provide education and training

18 MOVING RECOMMENDATIONS FORWARD LCCMR Project Assessment of Water Quality for Reuse (June 2019) Water quality data and risk assessment MDH White Paper on human health risks (Spring 2019) Region V EPA Regional Applied Research Effort (December 2019) Source data and treatability Water Resources Center/Minnesota Stormwater Research Council RFP (December 2019) CWF Proposal (FY20-21): Expanded workgroup and research National and local workgroups

19 USEFUL RESOURCES

20 USEFUL RESOURCES

21 WEBSITE Report + info sheet + GovDelivery /waterreuse

22 QUESTIONS? 11/26/